Next week, starting on March 25, the sixth-graders will begin creating 1-2 minute digital “Book Talks” for Language Arts. A “book talk” is a kind of “trailer” that is meant to interest others in reading the book described. To create the digital trailer, the students will create their own images or research and download copyright-free or Creative Commons licensed photos; write and annotate a script; and use a simple digital application to record.
With your permission, your child will search for non-copyrighted photos or images that can convey the essence of the book they have chosen to describe. The following websites will be used in class:
Students can also take their own photos or draw and design their own images for the project. The latter would need to be scanned and saved as photo files (.jpg).
Also with your permission, students may use their own digital devices, such as iPads, iPhones, or iPod touches, for the project. Please note that use of these personally owned devices is entirely optional, and students may create the assignment using school computers as well. If your child chooses to use a family-owned device, he or she is responsible for bringing it to my classroom in the morning, where it will be kept in a locked cabinet except for the time it is used in class. Students can pick up the device at the end of the day and return it again the next day, as production continues.
If students use their own devices, with your permission, they are responsible for downloading the appropriate apps and for transferring or downloading all images for the project to the device they will use. All of this needs to happen prior to production of the book talk in class. The applications students can choose from are:
In all three cases, students can use a teacher account to save and share the book talks.
Otherwise, students should download all images to a usb drive and bring this to school for use with the school computers. Students should also plan to bring their own earbuds or headphones to school for the recording part of the process.
Finally, with your permission, we hope to post the digital book talks on a private channel on TeacherTube and on the class wiki. Select book talks may be shared on the school website. Students should be mindful of not revealing personal information other than their first names in order for their work to be shared in this way.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the project. And thank you for your help and encouragement as we work together to help students communicate their passion for books with others.
You can check the class wiki for the daily schedule for the project. If students have collected their images onto their usb or device and selected (and downloaded, if using their own device) the application they wish to use, they will be ready to begin. We will use Monday’s class to troubleshoot any problems that arise and begin writing scripts.
Best Regards, Susan Davis Language Arts Teacher
I give my child, permission to participate in the digital book talk project. I understand that he or she will use the search engines named above in a responsible way to find images that are appropriate for sharing in a school environment.
My child has my permission as well to use the following device from home under supervised classroom circumstances:
(Note: use of a personal device is optional!)
Finally, I understand that my child’s work may be shared on the class wiki, the school website, or a private channel online via TeacherTube.
Name/Signature:
Date:
I would love to see the final product. Please email me at the following address:
Next week, starting on March 25, the sixth-graders will begin creating 1-2 minute digital “Book Talks” for Language Arts. A “book talk” is a kind of “trailer” that is meant to interest others in reading the book described. To create the digital trailer, the students will create their own images or research and download copyright-free or Creative Commons licensed photos; write and annotate a script; and use a simple digital application to record.
With your permission, your child will search for non-copyrighted photos or images that can convey the essence of the book they have chosen to describe. The following websites will be used in class:
Behold (use “free to use” filter)
http://www.behold.cc/
Compfight.com (use the filters for “Creative Commons” and “Safe
http://compfight.com/
Creative Commons Search
http://search.creativecommons.org/
Students can also take their own photos or draw and design their own images for the project. The latter would need to be scanned and saved as photo files (.jpg).
Also with your permission, students may use their own digital devices, such as iPads, iPhones, or iPod touches, for the project. Please note that use of these personally owned devices is entirely optional, and students may create the assignment using school computers as well.
If your child chooses to use a family-owned device, he or she is responsible for bringing it to my classroom in the morning, where it will be kept in a locked cabinet except for the time it is used in class. Students can pick up the device at the end of the day and return it again the next day, as production continues.
If students use their own devices, with your permission, they are responsible for downloading the appropriate apps and for transferring or downloading all images for the project to the device they will use. All of this needs to happen prior to production of the book talk in class.
The applications students can choose from are:
StoryRobe
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/storyrobe/id337670615?mt=8
VoiceThread
https://voicethread.com/
In all three cases, students can use a teacher account to save and share the book talks.
Otherwise, students should download all images to a usb drive and bring this to school for use with the school computers. Students should also plan to bring their own earbuds or headphones to school for the recording part of the process.
Finally, with your permission, we hope to post the digital book talks on a private channel on TeacherTube and on the class wiki. Select book talks may be shared on the school website. Students should be mindful of not revealing personal information other than their first names in order for their work to be shared in this way.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the project. And thank you for your help and encouragement as we work together to help students communicate their passion for books with others.
You can check the class wiki for the daily schedule for the project. If students have collected their images onto their usb or device and selected (and downloaded, if using their own device) the application they wish to use, they will be ready to begin. We will use Monday’s class to troubleshoot any problems that arise and begin writing scripts.
Best Regards,
Susan Davis
Language Arts Teacher
I give my child,
permission to participate in the digital book talk project. I understand that he or she will use the search engines named above in a responsible way to find images that are appropriate for sharing in a school environment.
My child has my permission as well to use the following device from home under supervised classroom circumstances:
(Note: use of a personal device is optional!)
Finally, I understand that my child’s work may be shared on the class wiki, the school website, or a private channel online via TeacherTube.
Name/Signature:
Date:
I would love to see the final product. Please email me at the following address: